Salisbury, Md. – Eight Lower Eastern Shore students have earned state-level recognition in the State of Maryland Literacy Association (SoMLA) Young Authors’ Contest. The annual contest is comprised of students submitting original poetry and short stories in grades 1-12 where students compete at a local level with students from Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. Top place winners in each grade-level and category advance to the state-level competition.

“We are extremely pleased with the success of this year’s local winners who were selected to participate in the state-level competition,” Brian Cook, co-chairperson of the Young Authors’ Contest hosted by the Eastern Shore Literacy Association, indicated. Winners in the local competition are automatically moved onto the state-level competition. “Each year the number of students earning recognition at the state-level continues to increase.”

Cook attributes the success to the emphasis being placed on writing instruction throughout the schools.

Local winners included the following students:

• Grade 6, Poetry – (Honorable Mention) Ellie Philiips (Worcester Preparatory), Intricate Fall.
• Grade 6, Short Story – (2nd) Catrina Donmoyer (Berlin Intermediate School), Shadow.
• Grade 7, Poetry – (2nd) Libby Donovan (The Salisbury School), Will I Ever See Tomorrow.
• Grade 7, Short Story – (1st) Kalen Lin (Pocomoke Middle), Fliehen.
• Grade 8, Poetry – (2nd) Marina Farlow (Stephen Decatur Middle), Silence.
• Grade 10, Poetry – (1st) Abbi Weeks (Stephen Decatur High), The Cardinal.
• Grade 11, Poetry – (2nd) Jessica Beck (Stephen Decatur High), Heart of a Lion.